Monday, February 13, 2012

Editorial, New York Times, February 12, 2012It is no coincidence that so many state legislatures have spent the last year taking the same destructive actions: making it harder for minorities and other groups that support Democrats to vote, obstructing health care reform, weakening environmental regulations and breaking the spines of public- and private-sector unions. All of these efforts are being backed — in some cases, orchestrated — by a little-known conservative organization financed by millions of corporate dollars. The American Legislative Exchange Council was founded in 1973 by the right-wing activist Paul Weyrich; its big funders include Exxon Mobil, the Olin and Scaife families and foundations tied to Koch Industries. Many of the largest corporations are represented on its board. ALEC has written model legislation on a host of subjects dear to corporate and conservative interests, and supporting lawmakers have introduced these bills in dozens of states. A recent study of the group’s impact in Virginia showed that more than 50 of its bills were introduced there, many practically word for word. The study, by the liberal group ProgressVA, found that ALEC had been involved in writing bills that would: ¶Prohibit penalizing residents for failing to obtain health insurance, undermining the individual mandate in the reform law. The bill, which ALEC says has been introduced in 38 states, was signed into law and became the basis for Virginia’s legal challenge to heath care reform. ¶Require voters to show a form of identification. Versions of this bill passed both chambers this month. ¶Encourage school districts to contract with private virtual-education companies. (One such company was the corporate co-chair of ALEC’s education committee.) The bill was signed into law. ¶Call for a federal constitutional amendment to permit the repeal of any federal law on a two-thirds vote of state legislatures. The bill failed. ¶Legalize use of deadly force in defending one’s home. Bills to this effect, which recently passed both houses, have been backed by the National Rifle Association, a longtime member of ALEC. ALEC’s influence in the Virginia statehouse is pervasive, the study showed. The House of Delegates speaker, William Howell, has been on the board since 2003 and was national chairman in 2009. He has sponsored or pushed many of the group’s bills, including several benefiting specific companies that support ALEC financially, like one that would reduce a single company’s asbestos liability. At least 115 other state legislators have ties to the group, including paying membership dues, attending meetings and sponsoring bills. The state has spent more than $230,000 sending lawmakers to ALEC conferences since 2001. Similar efforts have gone on in many other states. The group has been particularly active in weakening environmental regulations and fighting the Environmental Protection Agency. ALEC’s publication, “E.P.A.’s Regulatory Train Wreck,” outlines steps lawmakers can take, including curtailing the power of state regulators. There is nothing illegal or unethical about ALEC’s work, except that it further demonstrates the pervasive influence of corporate money and right-wing groups on the state legislative process. There is no group with any comparable influence on the left. Lawmakers who eagerly do ALEC’s bidding have much to answer for. Voters have a right to know whether the representatives they elect are actually writing the laws, or whether the job has been outsourced to big corporate interests.
While not illegal, this work on behalf of ALEC is nothing short of the hijacking of the people's business at the hands of corporate money interests.
And, just as the SuperPac's have shown they can backfire when truckloads of cash are poured into a political campaign (Romney's to assassinate Gingrich) in Florida, there is still the opportunity for the American people to learn just what is going on in their own backyards, literally under their noses, without the benefit of a full airing, yet.
There is, then, a list of state representatives in the state capitals, and within that list, there is also a list (likely not public) of those state representatives who are also members of ALEC, and who support the aims of that organization. So, far from promoting the freedom and liberty of the legislative process, the "insider" group is promoting those legislative actions that are desired, perhaps even demanded by their financial sponsors, who have organized their support around ALEC.
Between ALEC at the state level, and Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, it would seem that the Democrats will have an extremely steep hill to climb to elect their candidates for state and federal offices in November, including the re-election of President Obama, who clearly deserves a second term.